The Tenth Gordon Conference on Molecular Pharmacology will focus on "Mechanisms of Transmembrane Signaling," an area of rapid research advances in molecular pharmacology. The conference is designed to promote exchange of ideas and information among participants who investigate a broad range of problems related to transmembrane signaling. The invited speakers use a wide range of experimental approaches and techniques, ranging from physiology and pharmacology to molecular genetics. The list of speakers includes scientists from universities, research institutes, and industrial laboratories. They have been chosen with special attention to attracting a higher than usual proportion of excellent young scientists, along with a group of established investigators in each subfield. We expect a large number of applicants for participation in the conference; of these, approximately 120 will be chosen, according to three criteria: 1. Broad representation of disciplines and institutions; 2. selection of women and young scientists; 3. likelihood of significant contributions to discussions and poster sessions. Investigators are discovering a remarkably conserved set of molecular mechanisms that underlie the extraordinary diversity of transmembrane signaling in vertebrates, invertebrates, and even unicellular organisms. The mechanisms include receptor- regulated G proteins and the related ras proteins, cytoplasmic second messengers such as cAMP, Ca2+ and phosphoinositides that are released from plasma membranes, ligand- and voltage-gated channels, and receptors and other membrane proteins that phosphorylate tyrosine residues in proteins and mediate the actions of insulin and other growth factors. The cellular integration of these different mechanisms is beginning to be elucidated in some detail, especially in retinal phototransduction and at certain neural synapses. These mechanisms form the basis of information processing and transfer in the central nervous system; of the initiation, conduction, and regulation of impulses in the heart; of the regulation of metabolism and proliferation of normal and malignant cells; and the regulation of inflammation and immune responses. Accordingly, the topics to be considered at this conference cut across the purviews of NIGMS, NINCDS, NHLBI, NIADDK, and NCI. New fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of transmembrane signaling will provide a basis for investigating and eventually treating diverse diseases, including diseases of the cardiovascular system, rheumatic disorders, diabetes, cancer, and psychiatric disorders, epilepsy, and other neurological diseases.